Keyhole illuminator



Jan. 2, 1951 E. E. clHA l 2,536,593

KEYHOLE ILLUMINATOR Filed Dec. 5, 1945 mgm l AQ ML@ Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES TENT g(y) FFE ILLUMINATR Edward-E. Ciba, Chicago, Ill. ApplicationDeoemher 5, 1945, `*Serial No. 632,926

'This invention relates to keyhole inuininator and lafirrovng 'objects are itc provide :a simple, zfhparatvly .inexpensive @ind 'practical 4lal'fip `ii'f-lii'ch fn'ay vbe secured fon fa Y"door o'r 'door 'jamb 'in position to illuminate 'the keyhole Whenever illuin ation 'is required.

Another fobject is to provide a lamp Ycasing llin which a "smal-l electr-ical fdry 'cell lis housed fand connected to an electric lamp in'fa novel in'an'ner.

Anotherobebtfisfto -guard against the entrance of rain or snow 'into the casing of the lamp and thereby avoid f'short circuiting o'f the electric circuit.

Another object is the provisiono-fsimple means for holding the dry cell in place in the casing.

Other objects and 'adv*antages will appear in the course of this specication and with-al1 of said objects and advantages in View, this vinvention consists in the several `,novel --featuresfoficbnstructiony Varrangement and combination y'of Iparts hereinafter fully set forth and :more particularly deined in the appended claim's.

The `linvention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying this specicatin, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation upon `a reduced scale of 'a :keyhole illuminator #embodying Ta .sir'n'p'le form of the invention applied to `a fragment of a door;

YFig. 2 is a rear elevation fof 'the fkeyho'le 'illuminator'vith certain .portions of vthe casing broken out;

vvFig` '3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 31-3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is fa 'horizontal section taken on the line lf-i4 o'fFig. i.

u.l''eferring 5to -sa-id drawing, 'which is merely inl- 'iustrative off the form -of the 4present invention, IB designates the -casing Aof the lamp, which is preferably rectangular, closed at its front, top, bottoni and sides and open at its back. Ape'r tui-ed lugs f'II project from top and bottom Walls of the -casing to receive vscrews or znails, wherebyto fasten 'the lamp 'upona door r `door jamb.

Secured in the cavity of the casing is a small electric dry cell I2, which serves to energize an electric lamp I3, having its bulb disposed in and behind a light opening I4 formed in one` of the side walls of the casing.

An electrical connection for the electric lamp is made with one pole of the dry cell by a lamp socket I5 and a cap I'6 to which the lamp socket is soldered or otherwise secured. The cap has a skirt I1 which extends from its end I3 and said fskirt -is 'iorme'd with -fseyeral lslits I9 to provide sections 2Q 'between the slits which are capable of flexing slightly. The "cap is formed of ilexible metal and its internal diameter is 'substantially the same las that of vthe dry cell with the paper shell partially reino-ved `vSo as 'to yenable v'the can to 'be f'slipped upon "and make contact with 'the 'zinc shell 'of the dry cell. In assembling the cap with the dry cell, 'the .paper shell is removed from the dry cell at one end and the cap is slipped upon the exposed zinc shell rvof the dry 'cell.

The other pole 2l of the dry cell contacts With a metal Istrip 22 which is secured `to 'fone'sid'e Wall of the `casing kas fby a lscrew 23 and nut 2e. One end 25 'of the strip 2-2 is bent at right r'angles to the ina-in body thereof and 'contacts with vthe ,pole 32%5 4ci the vdry cell. The screw 23 may be of sfuflcient length to bear against the dry cell and thereby hold it in place, but :I Yprefer to. employ a metal 'clip 26 'heid in `'place by `the screw and 'nut fand having la 4curved Epait extending part Way arourrd the dry *cell and serving to hold it in -place. If desired, the casing maybe formed with ya saddle 37 :against Vwhich the dry "cell is :held by the clip 26.

Themetal Vstrip 122 `extends :along 'one side wall of the leasing from the `bent 'end 25 practically to the opposite end'rof the c'as'in'gfand it is adapted to be moved into Contact Withjtlfi'e center contact 211i on the electric 'lamp to yclose the circuit theref.

Between the Vmetal strip 22 and -ad'acent the 'side `-Wall 'of th'e casing' is the head '28 of a push button Z'Q which protrudes through va hole in the side wall. vvThe push button is yluminous and has a reduced part '3'0 'upon the end of `which is applied a luminous 'paint whereby 'the "button m'ay be *seen in the dark, 'and over said 'reduced end isheld 'a transparent Acap 32 formed 'of transparent plastic 4orother like material. The cap 32' covers the luminous 'paint Vand protects persons from Vtouching the paint 'when pressing the push button.

The metal strip 22 is formed 'of resilient vmaterial and yieldably holds the free end of the strip out of contact with the center contact of the electriclamp and at the same time it holds the push button in its outward position.

The open back of he casing is closed by a piece of Waterproof sheet material 33, the edges of which are received in rabbeted edges of the side and bottom walls of the casing. At the top of the casing in the inner face of the top Wall adjacent its edge is a groove 34 in which the 3 upper edge of the sheet 33 is held. With the upper edge of the sheet held in the groove, rain or snow cannot enter the casing at its top.

To prevent rain or snow from entering the casing through the holes in which the electric lamp and push button are located, a rubber gasket 35 is placed around the lamp bulb and it may be cemented to the inner face of the side wall of the casing. A rubber gasket 36 is placed between the head of the push button and the face of the adjacent side wall and, if desired, this gasket also may be cemented to the side wall. The lamp bulb and gasket and the push button and gasket seal the holes in which are contained.

Desirably the casing may be formed of Bakelite or other plastic material and it is molded in one piece. The parts of the lamp are few and are easily assembled.

The keyhole illuminator is fastened to the door 36 or door jamb adjacent the keyhole and positioned so that the light rays issuing from the lamp will be projected upon the keyhole.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I dc not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a weather-proof keyhole illuminator, the combination of an elongated casing having front, side, and end walls, an electric dry cell positioned in said casing, a metallic lamp supporting member positioned between the adiacent ends of said dry cell and casing, said member having a threaded bore therein open at both ends, of a size to receive the threaded stem of an electric lamp with the glass bulb thereof extending outwardly at one end of said bore and the center contact of said lamp extending outwardly at the other end of said bore, said member having a cylindrical recess therein, the axis of which extends substantially at right angles to the axis of said threaded bore, said recess being of a size to receive and frictionally engage the metallic dry cell shell adjacent the closed end thereof, a resilient, L shaped, electrical conductor positioned in and secured intermediate its ends to said casing, one end of said conductor being bent transversely to the remainder thereof and contacting the center contact of the dry -cell adjacent the opposite end of said casing, the opposite free end of said conductor being positioned adjacent to but normally spaced from the center contact of said lamp, and a push button extending through a side wall of said casing adjacent said conductor, said push button operative upon inward movement thereof to move the free end of said conductor into contact with the center Contact of said lamp, means carried by said casing for retaining said dry cell therein, and sealing means 4 for each of said electric lamp, push button, and rear wall of the casing whereby a weather-proof keyhole illuminator is formed.

2. The combination in a keyhole illuminator having an elongated casing adapted to receive an electric dry cell having a center Contact, and a metallic lamp supporting member adapted to receive an electric lamp having a center contact, said lamp supporting member adapted to be mounted 0n and electrically connected to said dry cell, of a resilient, L-shaped conductor positioned in and secured intermediate its ends to said casing, one end of said conductor being bent transversely to the remainder thereof and contacting the center contact of the dry cell adiacent the opposite end of said casing, the opposite end of said conductor being positioned adjacent to but normally spaced from the center contact of said lamp, a push button extending through a side wall of said casing adjacent said conductor for actuating the aforesaid opposite end of the conductor to engage the Contact of said lamp, a metallic clip complementally formed to the dry cell and affixed to said conductor at the point of securing said conductor to the casing, and a saddle afiixed to the casing for mounting the dry cell, whereby the dry cell and the L-shaped conductor are adapted to be supported within the casing.

EDWARD E. CIHA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 916,833 Blau Mar. 30, 1909 985,018 Eastman Feb. 21, 1911 1,093,287 Neff Apr. 14, 1914 1,112,624 Keogh Oct. 6, 1914 1,128,307 Greely Feb. 16, 1915 1,282,615 Mizrahi Oct. 22, 1918 1,359,585 Fitzgerald Nov. 23, 1920 1,476,028 Berge et al. Dec. 4, 1923 1,557,870 Pachman Oct. 20, 1925 1,600,603 Schwegler Sept. 21, 1926 1,922,601 Nolan Aug. 15, 1933 1,971,266 Kingsbury Aug. 21, 1934 2,007,101 Vonderembse July 2, 1935 2,016,819 Meginniss Oct. 8, 1935 2,085,331 Ramlau June 29, 1937 2,361,414 Ramsey Oct. 31, 1944 2,387,144 Gey Oct. 16, 1945 2,386,255 Morey Oct. 9, 1945 2,389,591 Brown Nov. 27, 1945 2,400,974 Berman May 28, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 146,615 England July 12, 1920 278,274 England Oct. 6, 1927 489,382 England July 26, 1938 

